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Titanis
Titanis was a large extinct flightless carnivorous bird of the family Phorusrhacidae, endemic to North America during the Blancan Stage of the Pliocene epoch living 4.9—1.8 million years ago, and died out during the Gelasian Age of the earliest Pleistocene, existing approximately 3.1 million years. Name The generic name, Titanis, refers to the titans, Ancient Greek gods that preceded the Twelve Olympians, in allusion to the bird's size. The specific name, T. walleri, honors the holotype's collector, Benjamin I. Waller. Species It lived approximately 5-2 million years ago (early Pliocene to early Pleistocene) in North America. Fossil evidence has been found in Gilchrist County, Florida dating from 3.0 to 2.9 million years. From circumstantial evidence (i.e., bone fractures), it has been suggested that the species did not become extinct until 15,000 years ago, but more precise dating by McFadden and colleagues refutes such a late date; all known Titanis fossils appear to be at least 2 million years old. Titanis was part of the group of giant flightless birds called the Phorusrhacidae, which are nicknamed "terror birds", and has been thought to represent the youngest species of the lineage (recently, a significantly younger South American example has been reported). The Phorusrhacidae originated in South America; Titanis is the only known member of the branch of the group that migrated out of that continent during the Great American Interchange. It is estimated that Titanis could run at speeds of 65 km/h. Anatomy It was 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) tall and weighed approximately 150 kilograms (330 lb), but with large variance (perhaps indicating strong sexual dimorphism). its skull has not been found, it most probably would have been large, with a huge, axe-like beak, like its relatives. The wings were small and could not have been used for flight. The wing bones articulated in an unusual joint-like structure, suggesting the digits could flex to some degree. It also had a relatively rigid wrist, which would not have allowed the hand to fold back against the arm to the same degree as other birds. This led one scientist, R.M. Chandler, to suggest that the wings may have supported some type of clawed, mobile hand similar to the hands of non-avian theropod dinosaurs, such as the deinonychosaurs (also popularly known as "raptors") . However, it was later pointed out that this wing joint is not in fact unique, and is present in seriamas (modern members of the same bird group to which Titanis belonged), which do not have any specialized grasping hands. Overall, Titanis was very similar to the South American Phorusrhacos and ''Devincenzia'', its closest relatives. However, it differs from these in having a shorter, thicker neck, a bulkier head, and an overall more heavily-built bodily structure. Little is known of its body structure, but it seems to have been less wide-footed than Devincenzia, with a proportionally much stronger middle toe. (Onactornis is now considered a junior synonym of Devincenzia). Other Birds To many avid readers, Titanis will be familiar as the predatory bird in James Robert Smith's best-selling novel (and soon-to-be-movie) The Flock. This prehistoric bird could certainly wreak its share of mayhem: at eight feet tall and 300 pounds (give or take a few inches and pounds for possible sexually dimorphic differences between males and females), Titanis closely resembled its theropod dinosaur forebears, especially its puny arms with long-taloned, grasping hands. As scary as it was, though, Titanis wasn't the most dangerous hunting bird of ancient times: in fact, it was a late, North American descendant of a race of South American carnivores, the phorusrachids (typified by Phorusrhacos, also known as the Terror Bird), which attained comparable sizes. By the early Pleistocene epoch, about two million years ago, Titanis had managed to penetrate as far north as Texas and southern Florida, the latter of which is The Flock's modern-day setting. Gallery D8y8z-kW4AASaIJ.jpg d9uiwi3-2d090f07-f75c-4ea0-a1f9-bea2c2852215.jpg 30836a7af3077fc054c51aa8b24b9362.jpg prehistoric_world___titanis_by_daizua123_dad0ti7-pre.jpg primalclashdwtitans__59894.1547842913.jpg hqdefault - 2019-08-29T091554.711.jpg 91de4efd1a4238944e33d05b865ec4e3.jpg 3x6_Titanis_78 (2).jpg 931333_brandonp_titanis-the-terror-bird.jpg ice_age_birds_by_paleoaeolos-d5x5iwv.jpg megafauna_by_paleoaeolos-d5xahua.jpg dbygiu7-2cef69b5-936e-4577-ba63-cad3ee1d253a.jpg north_american_carnivores_by_spidervenom022_d2hsp5g-fullview.jpg bratty_boy_barbarically_beaten_by_big_birds_by_hodarinundu_dd6n4mp-pre.jpg d9gr4j0-3cb03e14-6031-4c94-b032-d50075bec3f1.png dd028v4-4b7ed4da-55e3-4ceb-9e3f-0a67069a6b9f.png terror_reached_north_america__by_prehisjesus2018_dczed1a-pre.jpg _palaeoart__dinovember__papa_titanis_by_matthewonart_dcr3cyl.jpg kk_tewotw___skull_island_titanis_by_hewytoonmore_dbw8aoq.png titanis_vs_utharaptor_by_maleiva_d1r1umb.png titanis_by_paleofauna_dbz3rgh.jpg tods__centrosaurus_vs_titanis_by_generalhelghast_d83zv4e.jpg commission___terror_bird_terrorize_by_troyodon_db93tqc.png 3_terror_birds_by_thedinodrawer66_dcu7twm.png american_terror_bird_by_wildandnaturefan_dcpi7e3.png terror_bird_vs_hyenas_by_wdghk_da1scrs.jpg terror_bird__titanis_by_demonryo_d5i4fje.jpg Turok Terror Bird.png Terror birds SCHEDA.jpg Carnivores terror birds by ellman7567 dcyfc8b.jpg Cockfight 2 mya by troyodon d5qbiru.jpg Birds hunting horses by wdghk d9h3bj8.jpg Okitok vs very angry bird 2 xd by asmodeodesinan d5wgrue-fullview.jpg Okitok bad haunt by asmodeodesinan d50ut00.jpg Terror bird titanis by demonryo d5i4fje.jpg American terror bird by wildandnaturefan dcpi7e3.png ed81118f8f75f0b459a34e3726daf738.jpg Terror_bird.jpg|Terror Birds in 10,000 BC (2008) References http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/35/2/123.abstract Category:Birds Category:Carnivores Category:Primeval Category:Terror Birds Category:Cenozoic Category:Apex predators Category:Large Carnivores Category:Giant Cenozoic animals Category:Feathered dinosaurs Category:Large Carnivore Category:Dinosaurs Category:Vertebrates Category:Lists of prehistoric vertebrates Category:Fossils Category:Paleontology Category:Prehistoric Life Category:LifeForms Category:Life Category:Lifeforms Category:Taxa named by Pierce Brodkorb Category:Fossil taxa described in 1963 Category:Flock Animals Category:Flightless bird Category:Monsters Resurrected Creatures Category:Carnivores Creatures Category:Dangerous Trophies Category:Post-Mezozoic Creatures Category:Large Animals Category:Large Theropod Category:10,000 BC Creatures